Freshchat allows you to use SMS to send and receive text messages for business communications using Twilio. You can add new phone numbers or import your existing numbers from Twilio within Freshchat. For a general overview of SMS, check Getting Started with SMS.


TABLE OF CONTENTS


Prerequisites

  1. Make sure you have an active Twilio account.
  2. Ensure that you have phone numbers in your Twilio account.
  3. If you do not have a Twilio account, you can sign up for one easily here

Connecting your Twilio account with Chat

To add numbers from Twilio:

  • Log in to your Chat account as Admin.
  • Go to Admin > Integrations > SMS.
  • Click Add Numbers and then click Add from Twilio.



  • Enter the following details: Account name, Account SID, and Auth Token




Field
Description
Account Name
Enter the name of your Twilio account.

This is just an alias that you can change anytime.
Account SID
Enter your Twilio account's SID.
You will find this in your Twilio account under Account > Key & Credentials >  API keys & tokens > Live Credentials > Account SID.
Auth Token
Enter your Twilio account's auth token.
You will find this in your Twilio account under Account > Key & Credentials >  API keys & tokens > Live Credentials > Auth Token.


  • Click Next.

  • Once the authentication is successful, you can proceed to the next steps. Check the FAQs below to troubleshoot authentication errors.

  • Select the phone numbers from your Twilio account to enable SMS. You can choose to add multiple numbers.

  • If you do not have any numbers, you can buy new numbers directly from Twilo.



  • Finally, click Complete Setup. You can now use the added phone numbers to send and receive text messages.

Sending and Receiving Messages on Twilio

  • Once you add phone numbers to your Twilio account, you can send and receive text messages to and from your customers.
  • Twilio supports phone numbers from many countries around the world. You can check their website for details.
  • Agents can view the SMS conversations in the team inbox and easily respond to customer queries.



Text message restrictions

  • Each message can have 160 characters. The message will be split and sent if you enter a longer message. For example, if you type a 161-character message, it will be split into two messages; one of 153 and one of 8.
  • Currently, SMS on Chat allows only text messages and links. You cannot send MMS.


Assigning conversations from Twilio to your agents 

  • Twilio also gets its own Topic in Admin > Topics.
  • You can use it to further enhance your customer service experience by having a specialized agent group handle these questions by assigning the Topic (all the questions from the Facebook page) to the group. 

Creating bots on Facebook Messenger from Chat


  • When creating the bot, you can select Facebook Messenger in the first step right after naming the bot. 


Message types supported in SMS

Message Types

Direction

SMS via Twilio

Text

User to agent

Yes

User to bot

Yes

Agent to user

Yes

Bot to user

Yes

Image

User to agent 

No

User to bot

No

Agent to user

No

Bot to user

No

Video

User to agent

NA

User to bot

NA

Agent to user

NA

Bot to user

NA

Audio

User to agent

NA

User to bot

NA

Agent to user

NA

Bot to user

NA

File

User to agent

NA

User to bot

NA

Agent to user

NA

Bot to user

NA

Emoji

User to agent

No

User to bot

No

Agent to user

No

Bot to user

No

GIFs

User to agent

NA

User to bot

NA

Agent to user

NA

Bot to user

NA

Stickers

User to agent

NA

User to bot

NA

Agent to user

NA

Bot to user

NA

Automation

Bots

Yes

Structured messages

Articles

Bot to user

No

Carousels

Bot to user

No

Buttons

Bot to user

No

Dropdown list

Bot to user

No

Message events

Delivered

User to agent

NA

Agent to user

NA

Read

User to agent

NA

Agent to user

NA

Typing

User to agent

NA

Agent to user

NA

Consumer profile

User name

NA

User image

NA



Yes - Supported, No - Not supported, NA - Not supported by SMS.


Troubleshooting Twilio Errors


1. I am unable to send/receive SMS.

  • Check if the Twilio account is connected.
  • Check if the added phone number status is active.
  • Check if you have enough credit in your Twilio account.
  • Check if the destination country where SMS is sent is supported for SMS via Twilio and Global SMS is available on the phone number. For more details, check this article.

2. My messages are undelivered.

    Check this article to troubleshoot and fix Twilio undelivered messages.


3. How do I find my SID and auth token to connect to my Twilio account? 

    Check the section above.


4. I do not have a Twilio account. How can I create one? 

    It's easy to sign up for Twilio. Please check their Sign up page. 


5. What are the limitations of Twilio Free Trial accounts? 

     Twilio free accounts have some restrictions. Check this article to know the limitations.


6. Can I use phone numbers from my Freshdesk Contact Center account? 

     Currently, this is not possible, but will be available soon.


7. Can I send global SMS on Twilio Trial accounts?  

    Twilio sets no additional restriction for Global SMS on trial accounts. Check this article for more details.